Can wireless technology help fight crime?

More than half of the 741 million cell phones in the world are equipped with some type of photo capability [source: Reardon]. You're probably well aware of this, having taken countless pictures of you and your friends. Some of these photos do more than just preserve memories; they fight crime. Police in London used cell phone images to find the terrorists behind the 2005 bombings. Elsewhere a man who tried to abduct four teenage girls was arrested a month later when the same girls spotted him and took a picture of his license plate.

Amateur sleuths also can send their digital videos and pictures of crimes in progress to 911 call centers in places like New York City. A new technology allows the sent images to be incorporated directly into the record of the related call. They also can be forwarded to emergency crews on their way to the scene. Linking the images with the specific call makes them easy to find later for use in an investigation.

>Cell phone images work with other wireless weaponry, like surveillance cameras, to capture criminals. Although surveillance cameras themselves are nothing new, wireless ones can be installed where wired ones can't, such as in out-of-the way areas and in moving objects like patrol cars. They also cost less than wired cameras and are easily moved to new locations to follow high-crime areas.

In Dallas, wireless cameras with motorized controls allow officers watching from a remote location to pan around and zoom in and out to look for information that could help to solve a crime. In Baltimore, officers can watch live feeds for suspicious activities, which have enabled them to catch several violent offenders in the act. On the West Coast, Los Angeles police reported a 32 percent reduction in crime after installing wireless cameras [source: Jones]. Video surveillance systems can help to deter crime, monitor suspicious activities, identify license plates and collect evidence.

Some police forces also use global positioning systems, or GPS, in their vehicles. This locator technology can alert 911 dispatchers to which officers might be able to respond to an emergency the quickest, as well as allow those dispatchers to reassure panicky callers who want to know how far away help is. In addition, if an officer ever gets into trouble and can't radio his location back to base, the GPS will broadcast the officer's position, speed of travel and location.

­Another wireless technology has even been used on the likes of Martha Stewart. Wireless radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are often used by police to keep tabs on parolees and people on house arrest. The tags relay a signal that monitors the subject's whereabouts, notifying the police if the subject is entering an area he or she shouldn't.

If your cell phone doesn't have a camera, have no fear, you can text yourself to safety. Find out how text messaging assists investigations next.

Text messaging, the favorite pastime of kids everywhere, is becoming a widely accepted way to crack down on crime. Police agencies around the world are encouraging citizens to use text messages to report crimes and send in tips. Not only are text messages more discreet and safer in certain situations like kidnappings or burglaries, but people may be more likely to communicate information to the police using the less personal method of texting, as opposed to calling.

Boston has a program called "Text a Tip" where witnesses can simply text the word "TIP" to a crime hotline. They'll then be prompted to respond to a series of automated messages asking questions about the crime. Numbers are encrypted and blocked to ensure callers' anonymity.

Across the world in China, dozens of cities have similar crime-reporting systems. In 2005, Chinese police were able to track down a kidnapping victim and his two kidnappers after the man sent them a text message stating simply that he had been kidnapped. Another feel-good story happened in the Netherlands in 2007 when police broadcasted a text message to people in an area where a boat had been stolen. A woman nearby glimpsed the missing boat and notified the authorities, who found it and the thief soon after.

Sometimes the police send text messages directly to the criminals themselves. In Amsterdam, police officers fought cell phone theft by bombarding stolen phones with messages saying, "This phone has been stolen. Bring it back to the police." Understandably, these so-called "text-message bombs" seemed to be an effective deterrent. Who wants a phone that keeps telling you it's been stolen?

In the United States, residents in many cities can register to be part of an emergency warning system that will notify them on their cell phone of nearby criminal activities, missing persons or suspects on the run. One of the emergency broadcast systems that people can sign up for is an extension of the country's AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert program, which is used to catch child abductors. Opt-in setups like these usually charge people a small fee whenever they get a message. The Netherlands, however, is testing a government-sponsored alert system that is free to users.

­So if someone says their cell phone is a lifesaver, they may just be speaking literally. For more information about wireless crime-fighting methods and to learn how you can opt in to programs like the AMBER Alert, turn to the next page.